Mounting for guns or dischargers



Patented July 30, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE muly, and Charles Schermuly, Parkgate, Newdigate, England, assignors to The Schermuly Pistol Rocket Apparatus Limited, Parkgate, Newdigatc, England, a British company Application June 2, 1944, Serial No. 538,504 In Great Britain October 2, 1942 1 Claim.

Thi invention relates to mountings for dischargers, more particularly of the kind from which rockets are fired.

According to the invention the discharger is provided with discharging means comprising a barrel and breech hinged at the breech end of the barrel on a pivot on a base and capable of being raised by spring means about the pivot to a predetermined angle of elevation at which the gun is fired, a supporting strut for the discharging means hinged to the base and controlled by spring means so as to cause said supporting strut to press upwardly upon the discharging means, and locking means between the supporting strut and the discharging means for preventing downward movement of the discharging means after it has reached the predetermined firing angle.

A convenient form of the invention will hereinafter be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the discharger and Figure 2 shows the discharger in plan.

Referring to the drawing, the discharger comprises a breech l and a barrel 2, the said barrel preferably being constructed separately from the breech so that it can be secured thereto in any convenient manner, such for example, as a screwthread formed in the said barrel and breech. The breech is provided with an extension 3 formed axially therewith, the said extension being hinged to a base 4. Mounted on the said extension 3 is a spring 5, one end of which is secured to a lug 6 on the said extension, the other end to the base 4.

In order that the discharger may be locked in its firing position, a U-shaped bar 1 constituting a strut is hinged at its free ends to the base 4, the cross-bar of the U-shaped member bein held in engagement with the extension 3 by means of springs 8 extending from the member I to the base 4. A notch 9 is provided in the extension 3 with which the member I engages and holds the discharger in its firing position. The springs 8 also assist in the movement of the discharger into its firing position. A stop member 10 is provided to limit the upward movement of the discharger.

The rocket is preferably fired by means of an electric cartridge, that is to say a cartridge which is exploded by means of the passage of an electric current. A suitable hole, not shown, is provided in the breech of the discharger through which the eleectric cable can pass from the cartridge to the source of electric current. The cartridge can, if desired, be fired manually by pressing a switch, but it is preferred that the switch be operated by the movement of the discharger, so that when the spring moves the discharger to its predetermined position, the switch will be tripped and the cartridge fired.

In operation, the barrel is removed from the breech and the cartridge leads are passed through the hole in the breech and drawn therethrough until the cartridge is in position. Thereafter the barrel is replaced and the rocket inserted therein. After connecting the cartridge leads to the source of electric current the discharger is moved downwardly manually until it is in a substantially horizontal position. The discharger is held in this position in any convenient manner unti1 it is to be fired.

When the discharger is to be fired, the holding means is released and the springs pull the discharger into its firing position against the stop. When in this position the switch, not shown, is tripped and the cartridge is fired, the discharger being held in its firing position by means of the U-shaped strut which engages with the notch in the extension 3.

It will be understood that a percussion cartridge may be fired mechanically by means of a firing pin and trigger mechanism assembled in the breech of the discharger. In this case the trigger, instead of the switch, would be actuated to fire the cartridge when the spring has brought the discharger to the firing position. Furthermore, it will be understood that the cartridge may, if desired, be fired by means of a trip wire or by a delay action mechanism connected to the switch, in the case of electrical firing, or to the trigger mechanism in the case of percussion firing.

We claim:

In a mounting for a discharger having discharging means comprising a barrel and a breech, a base, pivot means connecting the breech end of said barrel to said base, spring means connected to said base and breech for raising said barrel and breech about said pivot means, stop means for limiting the upward movement of said barrel and breech to the position in which said discharger is fired, a supporting strut for the discharging means pivotally connected to said base, spring means for holding said strut pressed upwardly against said discharging means and means whereby said strut and said discharging means engage to prevent downward movement of said discharging means when said discharging means i raised to firing position.

CONRAD DAVID SCHERMULY. ALFRED JAMES SCHERMULY. CHARLES SCHERMU'LY. 

